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Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Another collecting year very nearly over and what better way to round it off than with a couple of posts highlighting some additions to my own collection

First up, a delightfully posed WW1 sniper by JJD to add to my, as yet still very small, collection of his figures. This particular figure will take his place in my WW1 diorama, just about to take refuge in a somewhat wet shell hole ready for his next shot

Going back a little further in time, an ensemble of half a dozen Austrian figures from the Seven Years War that I picked up at the 2015 Birmingham Toy Soldier Show in October. Thanks to Barry at Piers Christian who was selling them off at a significantly discounted price. I couldn't pass up the opportunity of giving my Prussians something to shoot at as they pressed their advantage at Leuthen

Finally, a figure I bought recently from Sierra Toy Soldiers in California, a retired hitler figure, and one of several I have now, from K&C. He is one of a number of retired figures I bought at the same time, about which more in the next post

Monday, 31 August 2015

With effect from today I will no longer be updating information about new German military themed releases from all of my favourite makers

Work demands and family commitments have meant that in recent months I have been struggling to find the time to devote to the blog and so I have taken the decision to reduce the amount of content I add to it

I will continue to post about new additions to my collection as well as anything else 'toy soldier and model figure related' that happens to catch my eye or interest me, and I will continue to add to the 'links' areas of the site

A very big thank you to anyone who has taken a look at what I have posted over the past 4 or 5 years; hopefully you have found something of use and/or interest to you

A fairly eclectic mix this, of figures representing three very different periods of time

First up, in chronological order, are a couple of crusader figures from the K&C range. These figures are particularly 'big and chunky' and as such work very well alongside the First Legion crusaders, which are also bigger than many of their other sets of figures

Next up, the final nine SYW Prussian Grenadiers I need to complete my JJD Leuthen display. I've chosen to include them here because photographing them solely as part of the diorama means you don't get to see what they look like from the front!

And finally, a single addition to my Berlin '38 LAH collection in the form of this officer standing easy

Saturday, 25 July 2015

More Stalingrad Germans from the fine fellows at FL, this time in the form of this workhorse of the German army, the SdKfz 251. Further information and images to do with these and other FL releases is available from the company website or from TSC

This incredibly detailed vehicle adds to your Stalingrad German display options and a armored column is at this point, brought to life. We have done several variants to allow for larger displays and though some are 16th and some are 24th Panzer Division, they can be combined in a single display as these divisions were combined during the battle due to heavy losses. Additionally, we've done GERSTAL059 German Officer which is mean to be displayed either inside the back of the half-track or outside the open rear doors as well as GERSTAL059 German figure firing the machine rear machine gun. Finally, it comes with a driver figure seated in place who can be seen from back as well as through the driver vision port.

VEH014 SdKfz 251/3 Ausf C Command Half-Track - 24th Panzer Division - This incredibly detailed vehicle adds to your Stalingrad German display options and a armored column is at this point, brought to life. We have done several variants of 251 Ausf C to allow for larger displays and though some are 16th and some are 24th Panzer Division, they can be combined in a single display as these divisions were combined during the battle due to heavy losses. Additionally, we've done GERSTAL059 German Officer which is mean to be displayed either inside the back of the half-track or outside the open rear doors as well as GERSTAL059 German figure firing the machine rear machine gun. The command variant 251/3 has one of the rear bench seats removed and fitted with communications equipment and comes complete with a Radio Operator figure. The "bedstead" antenna can be removed to allow for figures to be placed in the rear as well. Finally, it comes with a driver figure seated in place who can be seen from back as well as through the driver vision port.

Just the one entry for JJD this month, a dramatic depiction of a rather spectacular fall from grace for a WW1 German pilot in the shape of this crashed Eindecker!

New July Releases!Knights Of The Skies

The tactical, technological and training differences between Germany and the allied forces, ensured the British suffered a casualty rate nearly four times as great as their opponents. The losses were so disastrous that it threatened to undermine the morale of entire squadrons.

Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilot training was often cursory, especially in the early days of the war. Many recruits had only 2 to 3 hours of flying instruction before being expected to fly solo. Men were often sent to France having logged only 15 hours in the air. 8000 young men died in Britain during flight training, which means that more died from accidents and equipment failures than from enemy action.

Most RFC pilots lasted only an average of about 3 weeks once they arrived at the Western Front. Those who weren't killed, wounded, or taken prisoner might be posted out because of "nerves". Flying was extremely stressful and dangerous. Those who lived through the first few weeks acquired skills that helped them live longer or even survive the war.

RFC pilots were not allowed to use parachutes, although the men who were up in observation balloons had them and often used them to escape an attack. Towards the end of the war, German pilots were using parachutes.

According to H.A.Jones' War in the Air, a study of the UK's Royal Flying Corps in WW1, the amount of time a pilot could expect to fly before becoming a casualty (killed, wounded, or psychiatric) was a low of 92 hours in April 1917, and a high of 295 hours in August 1916. Note, in particular, that a much higher percentage of pilots became psychiatric casualties (modern-day PTSD) than would otherwise be expected (as high as 25% of all casualties), due to the radically higher stress of combat flight. Given that a typical combat flight lasted an hour or two at most, with an average number of mission at less than 1 per day, a pilot would last at least 4 weeks before becoming a casualty, to as many as 5 months.

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About Me

Welcome to Simply Soldiers, a place for me to share the beauty and
artistry of collectible toy soldiers from around the world and generally
indulge my passion for toy soldiers, wargaming, airsofting and
militaria collecting, and a few other things besides.